Bowhunting Blogs

If you have ever boiled skulls or used beetles to create European mounts, you are aware of the smell and mess. If you have had someone else mount them for you, you are aware of the expense, delay, and risk that come from being without your trophy antlers. Mountain Mike’s Reproductions has found a better way. Using injection molds made from detailed 3D scan of actual skulls, Mountain Mike's proudly offer a line of easy to use, great looking affordable European antler mounting kits and accessories.

If you want to keep your antlers intact with the original skull plate, the Bone Collector Record Keeper is the antler kit for you. This kit features a small space at the back of the skull for you to attach your own antler skull plate, and it includes all hardware, epoxy, putty gap filler, and touch-up paint needed for a great, do-it-yourself European antler mount that will keep your record book qualifications.

Compatible with your own harvested antlers or shed antlers, the Skull Master kit includesall hardware needed to attach a set of antlers to a great looking European deer skull in a timely, no-mess fashion. This antler kit comes with two different size interchangeable top sections so you can choose which size fits your antlers best.

Designed especially for Michael Waddell & The Bone Collector Team. T.R.U. Ball's engineers have added a solid rod connection & an all new 3oz or 11oz trigger choice to their favorite release, the T.R.U. Ball® Short-N-Sweet. The Beast model is the advanced "high-speed" model with a forward trigger to provide more draw length for short draw archers. The Beast II model is the "comfort-plus" model with a relaxed trigger, swept back to provide archers the ultimate feel when making the shot. Quick load open hook design allows a hunter to hook the string loop without taking eyes off the game. Also includes the drop-away solid rod globo-swivel connection with draw length adjustment. Available with black leather buckle strap or black velcro® strap. Just pull the trigger & let up to re-set, then you are ready to draw & shoot.

The Beast II model is the "comfort-plus" model with a relaxed trigger, swept back to provide archers with the ultimate feel when making the shot.

If you would like to purchase one of the Bone Collector releases, you are in luck! You can easily do so by clicking on the red link above each picture to view the item in the shopping cart right here on bowhunting.com!

Morrell’s new Bone Collector target series is one of the hottest-selling lines in the target industry. Endorsed by Michael Waddell and Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, the Bone Collector series contains targets that are perfect for the needs of all shooters. Shooters everywhere are praising the quality and usability of all the Bone Collector targets. The only question left is, which ones do you want to own?

No doubt about it, Bone Collector mania has taken over the hunting world. You can buy just about anything you can think of with the Bone Collector logo on it these days. From air fresheners and steering wheel covers to bed sheets, bows, and boots the Bone Collector boys have started quite the phenomenon. My first official Bone Collector purchase was the Bow'n Collector (or is it Bone Collector?) soft bow case from Blacks Creek.

Last fall I picked up an extremely nice Plano hard case to tote my precious compound in, but over time found it to be just too big and heavy for day to day use. While it's great for longer trips where I don't want my bow to get beat up in the back of my truck, it just wasn't convenient for quick trips to the range or my local honey holes. So this spring I went into the market for a decent soft case that was light yet durable. The Bow'n Collector seems to be just what the doctor ordered.

The Bow'n Collector from Blacks Creek. A great soft bow case at an affordable price.

Made from high quality materials and well-known Blacks Creek crafstmanship the Bow'n Collector is one heck of a nice soft case. The sides are made of high quality canvas while the bottom is made from cordura so it won't rip or fray when setting it down and picking it up on the ground a lot. There are three external pockets on the outside of the case that are great for allen wrenches, bow wax, releases, and other odds and ends you may need in the field or at the range. The arrow case pocket is the perfect size to fit my MTM arrow case, which holds a dozen arrows safely.

The arrow pocket is the perfect size for my MTM hard arrow case.

The 41 inch overall length of the Bone Collector is the perfect size to fit my Elite Judge bow. At 34 7/8" inches axle to axle it fits like a glove. This case is perfect for quick trips where I don't need the bulk of a hard case, yet want something that will protect my expensive bow and allow me to carry a few accessories. With Realtree AP accents and a cool Bone Collector skull logo embroidered on the center pocket it looks pretty cool too.

I feel as if I am a part of this new breed of bowhunter, especially when it comes to demanding the best performance from my gear. Just recently, I’ve added a new weapon to my "arsenal of gear"; the Blacks Creek Bone Collector 1.5 backpack. Through the years I have gone through many packs, never putting much thought into my purchases. I just needed something to transport my gear to and from the stand.

However, this past year while hunting whitetails harder than ever I learned that a strong, durable and reliable pack was necessary. I now feel like I have found this pack in the Bone Collector 1.5.

The Bone Collector 1.5 provides a spacious 2100 cubic inches of holding area and 5 separate pockets, enabling me to safely and securely carry all of my hunting equipment. The customizable back size adjustment makes the pack suitable for just about anybody. While the Bone Collector 1.5 provides plenty of carrying capacity, I feel as if the pockets are too deep to provide the hunter with quick and easy access. Of course, the seemingly bottomless pockets will ensure that it is nearly impossible for something to fall out, but should the hunter need something quickly, they are certainly at a disadvantage.

I was however, intrigued by the fact that this pack is "bow carrier capable", and admit I initially had little interest in using the bow holder. After utilizing the bow holder, I quickly learned that it could be quite an asset. If I need two hands while scaling tricky terrain, dragging out a monster buck, or any other curveball Mother Nature might throw at me, I’ll be ready. The bow holder holds your bow tightly against the pack which is a plus, but it is a little time consuming to strap it in and particularly to take out.

A picture of the the bow holder in action. It only requires two straps and the bottom loop to tightly secure your bow to your pack keeping both hands free for use. However, if needed quickly in the field, it is time consuming to strap on and take off.

One outstanding feature on the Bone Collector 1.5 is the comfortable jelly shoulder straps. Combined with the adjustable torso and abdomen straps, these super-comfortable shoulder straps really makes carrying this pack effortless, and can really save back pain in the future. Equally impressive was the blaze orange rain shield that can be easily tucked into the bottom of the pack. This feature keeps your pack and gear dry and will also lengthen the life of the pack by protecting it from the elements. In regards to safety, the blaze orange feature could prove beneficial if tracking a wounded animal on a neighbor’s property, or if hunting on public land.

I was very impressed with the blaze orange rain shield, which can be easily stored in the bottom of the pack. Not only does it protect the pack (as well as the rest of your gear) from the elements, but also doubles as a safety feature. An appealing feature to every hunter.

As passionate as I am about bowhunting, I am equally passionate about photography. I carry well over $1000 in camera equipment each time out. I was relieved to find that the Bone Collector 1.5 provides the adequate space needed to fit these goals. The 4 pound, 22"H x 12"W x 8"D design may prove to be too tall, heavy, and bulky for some hunters and/or photographers, but it allows me to carry my camera tripod comfortably. An added feature I love when my season behind the bow has ended.

Overall, I strongly recommend this pack to the serious bowhunter. It’s very flexible and allows the hunter to customize the pack to best utilize its features. The only true disadvantage that I feel this pack possesses is the lack of accessibility and ease of use with the bow holder. However, I feel the positives of this pack (the jelly straps, blaze orange rain shield, secure bow holder, and spacious design) greatly diminish the negatives.

To learn more about the Bone Collector 1.5 backpack, or to purchase this or any other outdoor gear on-line here on Bowhunting.Com, please click me. Thank you.

The Bone Collector line of sights is new for 2009 from Extreme Archery Products. They were designed as a signature product from Michael Waddell’s new TV show The Bone Collectors. You could not travel down an isle at the ATA show without seeing something related to The Bone Collectors show.

3 of the new Bone Collector series of sights

This line of sights is a nice step up from the old RT1000 and RT900 line. The first thing I noticed is the fibers are contained in the new pins rather than having a big loop to get caught on twigs.(Yes I had it happen a few times before I got my sight cover) The new models also feature tool-less adjustment for windage and elevation. Plus you have the option of micro adjustment for both windage and elevation. All models can be ordered with .010”, .019”, or .029” pins. You can choose from black, titanium, Lost camo, Realtree Hardwoods Green, Realtree AP HD, or Realtree AP HD to finish off your sight.

The 1400 model is a sharp looking sight in titanium

The 1400 features: Micro adjust for both windage and elevation
Every part is cnc machined from aircraft aluminum
2” sight window
Second axis level adjustment
5 ultra bright full capture pins with extended length fiber optics in .010”, .019”, or .029”
accepts optional powered lenses mounted behind the pins in 2X, 3X, 4X, or 6X
pins are mounted on a single vertical plane for no misaligned pins
dovetail bar extends over 8” from mount to the rins
The 1300 has all of the above features except micro adjust.
The 1200 has all of the features of the 1400 except this is a fixed plate sight with no dovetail bar and has 4 sight pins.
The 1100 has all of the features of the 1200 except for micro adjust.

Hunting apparel has come a long way in the 16 years since I started bowhunting. I can still remember heading out into the freezing cold northern Illinois winter for some late season hunts with my dad wearing his hand-me-down Trebark apparel that was little more than a cotton pair of pants and zip-up jacket. Underneath was my standard-issue cotton long johns, some wool socks, and my Sorel boots with removable wool/felt liner. A pair of brown jersey gloves tucked into my pockets did little more than prevent me from getting frostbite and to be honest, I have no idea how I ever sat still in those miserable conditions!

Now more than two decades later we have more hunting apparel to choose from than most of us can sort through in our buying decisions. One of the most popular lines of hunting-specific apparel over the past several years has been ScentBlocker from Robinson Outdoors. I'll admit that I first took notice of the Scent Blocker clothing when I saw them on the Drury Outdoors DVDs and subsequent TV show. Since then, Scent Blocker has been worn by many hunting "celebrities" including the immensely popular Michael Waddell of Realtree Roadtrips fame. With his new show "Bone Collector" coming out this season, Robinson Outdoors has released a full line of Bone Collector ScentBlocker apparel. This gear was designed with the input of Waddell as well as his two co-hosts, Nick Mundt (who my wife think is "hot" by the way) and Travis "T-Bone" Turner. These guys hunt hard and designed this apparel to meet their needs, which can be easily seen in the way this apparel is put together.

The first item that caught my eye at this year's ATA show is the "Freak Nasty" jacket and pants. Both garments feature ScentBlocker's SPF 50 activated carbon technology to trap scent combined with their S3 antimicrobial technology to prevent scent before it starts. These garments are lightweight and perfect for early and mid season hunts before the temperatures start to drop. However, you won't have to put them away come November. The Freak Nasty Jacket accepts a zip-in fleece vest for additional warmth when needed. The vest does not have activated carbon, but does have WindBlocker protection.

One great feature of these garments that I really liked was the Silent Wrist Ratchet cuffs. Instead of a noisey velcro closure, this rubber cuff is silent and allows for adjustment of the wrist cuff. The jacket also features a slit in the back for your safety harness tether, which will save me from having to do it myself. If you like a lot of pockets, you'll certainly like this jacket! It has 6 zippered pockets on the front of the jacket and 2 on the rear for plenty of storage for your license, calls, gloves, cell phones, gameboys, pop-tarts, or whatever else you like to take into the stand with you. The last feature I'll mention on this jacket is an adjustable/removable arm guard that can be used by both right or left handed shooters.

The new Freak Nasty jacket from Robinson Outdoors. A garment that not only looks good, but is functional as well!

The Freak Nasty vest can be zippered into the jacket for added warmth on those cool fall days.

The Freak Nasty pants have 2 front slash pockets, 2 zipped leg pockets, and 2 zippered rear pockets in case you couldn't fit everything in your jacket. They also have 20" leg zippers which I really like, and will help in getting your boots on and off. Both garments are available in sizes M-2XL in Realtree AP camo.

The Freak Nasty pants - a perfect pair with the jacket and vest.

Also available in the Bone Collector line is the Brotherhood collection of fleece apparel. This jacket, pants, and fleece head cover all feature SPF 50 activated carbon and S3 antimicrobial technology. The Brotherhood jacket is a little more on the simple side compared to the Freak Nasty jacket with only two front zippered pockets and a safety harness slit in the back. The pants are much the same with two front slash pockets, 2 side and 2 rear pockets with button closures. Unfortunately the pants do not have leg zippers.

The Brotherhood jacket is quiet and warm, I just wished the hood was removable. Personally, I'm not a fan of hoods on my hunting gear. I much prefer a stocking cap to keep my head/ears warm and find that a hood just seems to get in the way.

The Brotherhood fleece pants. I think they'd be better with leg zippers!!

The fleece all-season head cover can be worn three ways including as a neck gaiter, 1/2 mask, or full head cover. It is treated with DWR (durable water repellent) so it withstands some moisture, but not a complete downpour. It also has a rear adjustment point for a snug fit and hooded ear openings so you can hear approaching animals. I have that feature on a few of my other head covers and while it's a good idea, I've never felt that it works as well as I hoped it would. This head cover is available in both Realtree AP and Mossy Oak Treestand camo patterns.

If you're looking for a more traditional garment, the Bone Collector Tactical gear might be what your'e after. These garments are made of a breathable cotton with S3 antimicrobial technology. The 7-button shirt has mesh side panels to keep you cool during warm temperatures or long walks to your stand, articulated elbows for ease of movement. Pockets in the chest and arms are designed for easy access and again give you plenty of space to keep your gear close at hand. The coolest feature of the Tactical shirt is the elastic loops on the right sleeve that can be used to hold a grunt call, wind checker, or anything else you may need close at hand in the field. For me, that might be my Blackberry so I can play Scrabble when deer movement is slow!

The S3 Tactical pants have 11, yes ELEVEN, pockets on them. From looking at the diagrams in the ScentBlocker catalog I can only find 9 of them which are 2 slash pockets on the front, 2 pockets on each leg above the knee, one pocket on the right leg below the knee, and two on the rear of the packets. I'm not quite sure where they squeezed the other two in, but I'm sure they're there. These pants also have an articulated knee and reinforced seat (aka "butt") and knees for added durability.

There is also an S3 longsleeve shirt that's a very basic shirt in Realtree AP with mesh accents for breathability.

But where are the base layers, you ask? Right here, friends! The Black Widow line consists of an XLT shirt, XLT pant, knit cap, and wool liner glove. All garments are completely black and according to the catalog are "perfect for hunting in ground blinds". Only the shirt and pants feature activated carbon, SPF 40 to be exact. The knit cap and gloves only feature S3 antimicrobial technology. The jacket also features a 1/4 zip front with BodyLock collar and wrist cuffs. The pants also feature BodyLock technology with a single rear pocket in case you feel the need to keep something in your underwear.

Last but not least we have the S3 Bamboo shirt and pants. Both garments feature 4 Direction Stretch, which is actually really nice. I have a set of the current S3 base layers with the stretch fabric and it not only fits great, but feels great too. The Bamboo garments are designed to wick moisture away from your skin and have mesh stretch panels to allow air to escape. The best part, in my opinion, about this base layer is that it's available in camo as well as black. I know last year on some warm afternoons I wanted to walk to my stand in just my S3 shirt, but didn't want to look like a black bear prowling the Illinois countryside. The shirt, as well as the pants, are both available in Realtree AP with black accents, as well as black with camo accents depending on your preference. While I can see the need for the shirt in camo, I'm not sure many people are wearing their man-tights around without anything over them so the camo bottoms probably aren't quite as necessary.

One additional thing I do like about these base layers is that they have a thumb hole sewn in the sleeves. At first glance I wondered exactly what it was for - after all, the hunting industry isn't exactly full of guyliner-wearing kids in skinny jeans and shirts with thumbholes in them. However, the nice lady at the ScentBlocker booth informed me that the thumb holes are used to prevent the sleeves from riding up your arms when pulling additional garments on over them. Once you're all layered up, you can then remove your thumbs so your hunting buddies don't make fun of you. Ingenius, I say!

The S3 Bamboo shirt in Realtree AP camo, the perfect shirt for hiking into your stand on for an afternoon hunt.

Camo underwear, for those of you who don't feel like wearing pants at home, or in the field!

All in all, I think the Bone Collector line of ScentBlocker gear looks like some really nice stuff. I will most definitely be hunting out of the Freak Nasty jacket and pants during the early season, and will most likely own a set of Bamboo base layers as well.

This being my first trip to the ATA Show, I was really looking forward to seeing all of the new products and getting to hear about them from the factory reps. As we walked into the convention hall it was hard to decide where to go first. So we just started at one end and worked our way thru isle by isle. I’ll give you a brief rundown of some of the highlights in this blog entry, and get more in depth on individual products in the coming weeks.

The entrance to the main display area.

The highlight of the show for me was the BOWTECH Booth. Not only was it the largest booth there, but I have just been accepted on their Hunting Pro Staff. So I was very interested in all of the new bows and accessories. They did not disappoint me. You can view them all at the Bowtech website. http://www.bowtecharchery.com/

The archery range next to the Bowtech booth.

The new bow lineup includes the Admiral, Captain, and Sentinal in the center pivot Bowtech line-up. The Brigadier, S.W.A.T., Sniper, and the just released Air Raid in the traditional riser, Bowtech line.

New from Diamond is the Iceman, the only center pivot single cam out there. And in the traditional riser line from Diamond there is the Stud, Rock and the Razor Edge.

Bowtech also carries the Ross line of Bows now and The Carnivor is the newcomer to their line up. This bow has the unique feature “The Crank”.

The Octane Accessory line has some newcomers this year also. They include a new lighter quiver a sight and a drop away rest.

An old item making a return is the Swivellimb Treestand. You would be hard pressed to find a tree these stands will fit not on and remain level.

The Swivellimb Treestand remains level on extreme angle trees.

A product I plan on ordering soon is a Cottonwood Outdoors replacement seat for my API climber. This company makes a number of waterproof replacement seats for most brands of tree stands. They also make a weterproof tree stand cover to keep your stand out of the weather.

Cottonwood Outdoors replacement seats are waterproof.

Bohning Products also has number of new items this year. My favorite is a new fletching jig designed specifically for the Blazer Vanes. It has a built in 3* offset.

The new Bohning offset Blazer fletching jig.

A neat item we found from Mountain Mike’s Reproductions is Skull Masters a european mount system for shed antlers or antlers on a skull plate. The neat thing about this system is you can get the reproduction skull dipped in a variety of finishes, everything from wood grain to various camo patterns.

A reproduction skull dipped in Predator camo.

Viper Archery Products has come out with a new backstop design called The Barrel that makes a lot of sense. The layers are in a circular pattern like tree rings and you shoot thru them. If you wear a hole you simply turn the target slightly and start shooting again.

The new Barrel backstop from Viper.

The Prowler HD is the latest model from Stealth Cam. It records in HD making seamless transitions in editing when including a trail cam video in your recorded hunt videos. It also has an 8.0 mega pixel camera.

The Prowler HD takes High Defination video clips.

The Omega Rest from Athens Archery combines the whisker biscuit style and drop away style rests into one. It uses 3 bristle brushes to hold the arrow in place. But the unique thing about this rest is, at the shot the brushes retract to give you the total clearance just like a drop away.

The Omega Rest combines the whisker biscuit style with the drop away rest.

T.R.U. Ball has introduced a new style of release. The Sniper 2 is a Jaw and a Half model. Similar to a single jaw, but the straight arm that the single jaw closes on also moves slightly to add forgiveness to the release.

A sampling of T.R.U. Ball relaeses.

Extreme Archery has come out with 3 new sights in their Bone Collector line. One is a dovetail 8” bar model and the other 2 are fixed sights. All three have the option of .010, .019, or .029 fibers.

The new Bone Collector line of Extreme sights.

Apple Archery has added some new features to their line of bow presses this year that will make them more adaptable to use on a greater variety of bows. They have to stay on top of the changes in all of the bow lines to be able work on the new model bows.

The Apple Archery Bow Press.

Hunter Safety Systems has made a number of changes to their Safety Vest System for ’09. Many of these changes were ones that I pointed out in my review I did in an earlier blog on the Safety Vest. I guess sometimes they really do listen to what the consumers want. You can read my original review by clicking here.

The new and improved Hunter Safety System Vest.

So there are some of the highlights of my first ATA show, one interesting observation. Micheal Waddel should be a very rich man after this year. His Bone Collectors signature line, it seems is on every other item at this show. You could not walk down an isle without seeing something Bone Collector related. This guy has turned into the biggest marketing tool in the hunting industry.

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